“This is the woodpecker mecca,” says Ross Scott of Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. “Big Cypress is the last great population in South Florida.”

Yes, this spring break I’ve traded the screeching subways and jackhammers of New York for the warblers, catbirds and woodpeckers of the greater Everglades.

There are five types of woodpeckers in Big Cypress, and the red cockaded woodpecker, or RCW for short, is the rarest. Although the population has been growing, RCWs have been listed as an endangered species for as long as the list has been kept. There are only about 250 of them in the preserve. Each is about the size of a cardinal, but there is only a small dot of red on a RCW’s head.

This week we will be working to protect RCWs’ habitat, not just because RCWs are endangered, but also because so many other species are dependent on them: It can take up to two years for a RCW to make a cavity for nesting in a tree, but after they are finished using their nests, other birds and insects use the cavities for their homes.

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The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is America’s conservation corps. Our members protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks and community green spaces in all 50 states.